56 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 16-No. 4 



many shades and runs from one tint to 

 anothei', with sucli faint shades of difference 

 as to render the determination of the exact 

 color often a matter of considerable diffi- 

 cnlty. 



A curious fact is that if an epfc of an eagle or 

 hawk Is held up to a stron<; lif;ht and looked 

 through it appears greenish, while eggs of 

 owls appear yellowish. Vulture's eggs, 



I mean those of rhe Turkey and Black Vul- 

 tures (Catharten aura and Calharista atrata), 

 are also yellowish. 



Birds which normally lay unspotted eggs 

 will sometimes produce them with faint 

 markings. 



I am a firm believer in the theory that suc- 

 cessive sets of eggs from the same pair of Ijirds 

 will bear a strong resemblance to each other, 

 in size and coloration. This I have repeatedly 

 confirmed by observation and experiment. 



Many colors on eggs, when freshly laid, can 

 easily be smeared, or even entirely rubljed dIT 

 by water. This is rareramong small eggs than 

 among large ones, but I have often removed 

 the spots on Vireo's eggs, when fresh, by 

 water. With the deterioration of the mark- 

 ing on eggs of the Red-tailed Hawk (Bnti'O 

 borealis) and especially on those of the Red- 

 shouldered Hawk (B. lineatua) caused by rains 

 or the wet feet of the birds, any one who has 

 seen many sets of their eggs is very familiar, 

 as their beauty is often ruined by these 

 causes. J. P. N. 



The Picidae of Michigan. 



As a family the Woodpeckers are probably as 

 well known as any one class of birds. This is be- 

 cause of their abundance, familiarity and their 

 conspicuous mode of life. All have the charac- 

 teristic of building in a hole excavated for the 

 purpose in a tree trunk, living or dead. All 

 progress up the trunks by a series of hops, 

 using their stiff tails as props, and, with a 

 single exception, rarely perch across a limb as 

 do other birds. 



Few of our birds if dispensed with would 

 be more missed than the Woodpecker. His 

 jolly roll on the dead trunk of some forest 

 giant has become so familiar by constant repe- 

 tition that without it our country walks 

 would lose half their charm. It is always 

 interesting to hear his industrious chip, chip. 



as he laboriously chisels out his snug home, or 

 his rapid and continuous rattle as he hammers 

 away ou some telegraph jjole. The eggs are 

 polished, white, four to eight in number, and 

 unsjjotted. 



1. Hairy Woodpecker {Dryobates villosuti). 

 The Greater Sapsnckers are very common liere 

 as elsewhere; they are found in the orchards, 

 on the shade trees, and in the deeper woods. 

 Their numbers are greatest during migrations, 

 at which time their loud shrieking calls are 

 heard on all sides. It is needless to remind 

 the readers of this paper that the nickname of 

 Sapsucker is not only inappropriate hut un- 

 just, as their food consists almost entirely of 

 insects and larvie. They are fond of .selecting 

 a good place near the ends of the ajjjjle 

 branches, and thei-e remaining until all the 

 food is exhausted They will work for ten 

 minules pulling and tugging at a piece of bark 

 uuder which they are sure of finding a meal. 

 In winter time a few are to be found in the 

 woods accompanied by Cliickadees .and Nut- 

 hatches. 



2. Downy Woodpecker {Di-yohates i>i(hf>i- 

 eenn). With the habits and manners of the 

 preceding, these little fellows seem mole fa- 

 miliar than their larger brothers. They are 

 always ready for a coniidcntial chat and will 

 always meet your advances half way. Their 

 call resembles that of rillosus, except that it is 

 notsoloud. Both these species are so abundant 

 and widely distributed that it seems unneces- 

 sary to enter into a more extended descrip- 

 tion. 



3. Arctic Three-toed \Voodpccker {Piciihlcx 

 arcticuii). In the fall of 1889, armed with a 

 combined rifle and shotgun, 1 set out from the 

 log cabin of a lumber camp taking my way 

 along an old load filled with stumps and holes. 

 The lofty pines roared softly, rearing their 



j vast columns so grandly towards heaven that 

 the scene would have had a vastuess and sub- 

 limity depressing and humbling to the spirit, 



; were it not for the cheerful Chickadees, that 

 no extremes of weather can daunt, and the 

 impudent Canada Jays, on wlnun nothing can 

 have the slightest subduing effect. A sharp 

 turn to the right led through an old slashing 

 just beginning to be overgrown with scrub 

 oak, through another patch of pines and into 

 a strip of partly burned country. Here I es- 

 tablished myself on a knoll and settled my- 

 self for a long wait for deer. 



After a little of this how cold it seemed to 

 become! It penetrated to the very marrow, 

 and after the fnlhuving troop of Canada Jays 



